Transgender Star, Laverne Cox Covers Time Magazine & We’re Inspired

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Transgender actress and activist, Laverne Cox has made history on the cover of Time magazine. Called an unlikely icon, Cox remembers a time when she was bullied and harassed for appearing feminine while growing up in Mobile, Alabama.

The article is titled, “The Transgender Tipping Point” andCox gushes over her tipping point in finally getting over those bullies and now being comfortable in her own skin:

“I’m so busy and I’m living my dream. I feel like myself and I feel pretty integrated, like the person that I am inside is who the world is seeing, which feels calming. But it’s not like ‘Oooooohhh, I a woman now and the world is amazing.’ There’s hardships. There are a lot of struggles still. I’m happy that I am myself and I couldn’t imagine my life if I were still in denial or lying, pretending to be a boy. That seems ridiculous to me. That seems crazy at this point … It’s nice to be done with transitioning.

We are in a place now where more and more trans people want to come forward and say ‘This is who I am.’ And more trans people are willing to tell their stories. More of us are living visibly and pursuing our dreams visibly, so people can say, ‘Oh yeah, I know someone who is trans.’ When people have points of reference that are humanizing, that demystifies difference. Social media has been a huge part of it and the Internet has been a huge part of it, where we’re able to have a voice in a way that we haven’t been able to before. We’re being able to write our stories and we’re being able to talk back to the media … We are the reason. And we are setting the agenda in a different way.”

Funny enough, the “Orange is the New Black” star was left off of Time’s list of 100 Most Influential people in April, even though she received an overwhelming number of votes. Time doesn’t automatically include everyone who has received a high number of votes on their list, but they do consider the feedback when compiling the list. When Cox didn’t make it on the list, the powers that be at Time had no commentas to why.

Not making the list didn’t phase Cox, however, she’s since credited her cover and the article to the hashtag that was started in her honor, #whereislavernecox. “Thanks to everyone who used this # & spoke out,” she wrote on Twitter Thursday morning “U made this happen.” She also added that it was a “lovely bday present, a cover story 2 highlight the profound issues trans people face everyday.”

What a beautiful way to show the world that many of our strict ideals of gender and sexuality are opening up and allowing people like Laverne Cox to champion the movement. It’s humbling to view our world in this way.

From the interview:

The people out there in America who have no idea what being transgender means, what do they need to understand?

There’s not just one trans story. There’s not just one trans experience. And I think what they need to understand is that not everybody who is born feels that their gender identity is in alignment with what they’re assigned at birth, based on their genitalia. If someone needs to express their gender in a way that is different, that is okay, and they should not be denied healthcare. They should not be bullied. They don’t deserve to be victims of violence. … That’s what people need to understand, that it’s okay and that if you are uncomfortable with it, then you need to look at yourself.

And what were you like as a child?

I was really creative. I started to dance very young. I loved to dance. I begged my mother to put me into dance classes and finally, in third grade, she did. Tap and jazz but not ballet. She thought ballet was too gay … Throughout all of that, I was very feminine and I was really bullied, majorly bullied. There was this side of me that was this over-achiever that loved learning. But then I was also taunted at school. I was called names. I was made fun of.

Are there any particular instances of bullying that stand out in your memory?

There was this one instance in junior high when I had gotten off the bus and I was chased by a group of kids, which was, you know, pretty normal. They couldn’t really bully me on the bus because the bus driver could see in the rearview mirror, and that wasn’t allowed. But the second we got off the bus, they would try to beat me up. So I’d have to start running, immediately. So that day I was running for my life, basically, and four or five kids caught me. They were in the band. And I remember being held down and hit with drumsticks by these kids. And a parent saw it, the parent of some other student, and called the principal and the principal called my mother and my mother found out about it.

Is there a moment or time you remember first feeling like you might be transgender?

I tell this story about third grade. My third grade teacher called my mom and said ‘Your son is going to end up in New Orleans wearing a dress.’ Up until that point I just thought that I was a girl and that there was no difference between girls and boys. I think in my imagination I thought that I would hit puberty and I would start turning into a girl.

Out Of The Closet: 24 Gay Black Celebrities

1 of 24

1. Raven-Symone

Raven finally came out on Twitter, claiming, "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you" and when Oprah asked her about it on her show "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" Raven admitted that she's a woman who loves a woman.

2 of 24

2. Djuan Trent

Former Miss Kentucky Djuan Trent finished in the top 10 of the Miss America competition in 2011 and recently announced that she’s a lesbian, becoming the first national pageant contestant to come out of the closet.

3 of 24

3. Robin Roberts

One year after receiving a crucial bone marrow transplant that saved her life, Roberts wrote a heartfelt message of gratitude on her Facebook wall that revealed some previously guarded information--she has a girlfriend!
“I am grateful for my entire family, my long time girlfriend, Amber...” she wrote, effectively revealing her same-sex relationship.
Read more: http://bit.ly/1ggx5PO

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4. Michael Sam

"I just want to go to the team who drafts me," Sam told ESPN in a recent interview, "because that team knows about me, knows that I'm gay, and also knows that I work hard. That's the team I want to go to." This NFL-hopeful has gotten the attention and support of Michelle Obama after coming out and has become an inspiration to us all.

5 of 24

5. Mister Cee

While Mister Cee hasn't classified himself as gay, he has admitted to having a problem with soliciting transgender women.
“I know that I love women; any woman that’s been with me know that I love women,” he said. “But occasionally I get the urge the have (oral sex) with a transsexual, a man that looks like a woman... And then I’m sitting here saying that I’m not gay.”

6 of 24

6. Andre Leon Talley

One of the most known editors of Vogue, Andre has credits that span beyond any normal resume. From working as an assistant for Andy Warhol to mentoring Jennifer Hudson, Talley's talents far outweigh his sexuality.

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7. RuPaul

Perhaps one of the biggest gay stars of our time, RuPaul has paved the way for many drag queens by making it mainstream. Ru also came out when he was 12-years-old and has been living his truth ever since.

8 of 24

8. Angela Davis

Angela Davis confirmed that she was a lesbian in 2005 in Out magazine. And as one of the biggest advocates for Black, women's and gay rights, Davis is the political activist you want on your team.

9 of 24

9. Wanda Sykes

Wanda was married to her husband for seven years before fully embracing her homosexuality. Now married to a woman, Wanda continues to be a strong advocate for gay rights.

10 of 24

10. Nicki Minaj

From labeling contestants on American Idol, "my wife" to claiming she's got what it takes to steal Cassie from Diddy, Nicki Minaj's sexuality is fluid. She claimed that she was bi-sexual, then denounced the title in a Rolling Stone interview. If we had to call it, we'd say Nicki's gay-adjacent.

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11. Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean's admission of loving a man was the coming out heard 'round the world. Frank said, "I knew that my star was rising, and I knew that if I waited I would always have somebody that I respected be able to encourage me to wait longer, to not say it till who knows when."

12 of 24

12. Jason Collins

Jason Collins made history as the first American man in a professional sport to come out.

13 of 24

13. Lee Daniels

Director Lee Daniels has always been vocal about his marred past and how he suffered at the hands of his father because he knew he was gay at 5-years-old. Now fully embracing his sexuality, Daniels has matured into a well-adjusted gay man.

14 of 24

14. Azealia Banks

This newbie rapper has never been afraid of her sexuality. Her uber-raunchy lyrics are proof. Banks came out in the NY Times as bisexual. "I'm not trying to be, like, the bisexual, lesbian rapper. I don't live on other people's terms."

15 of 24

15. Meshell Ndegeocello

Ndegeocello came out as bisexual when she was in high school and even dated Alice Walker’s daughter, Rebecca Walker.

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16. Le1f

Le1f is an openly gay New York-based rapper who made a name for himself by calling out Macklemore, not only stealing his song, but profiting off of the struggles of queer communities. He recently made his network TV debut on Letterman.

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17. Sheryl Swoopes

Swoopes came out as homosexual in October 2005, publicly announcing her relationship with Houston Comets’ assistant coach, Alicia Scott.

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18. Johnny Mathis

Mathis is a pioneer of homosexuality. He would always receive death threats, causing him to remain silent on his sexual preference. In 1982, he was quoted in Us Magazine, claiming, "Homosexuality is a way of life that I’ve become accustomed to.”

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19. Don Lemon

When CNN anchor Don Lemon came out as gay, he was applauded for being one of a small few of openly gay Black celebrities. Lemon’s decision to come out sparked debate about why other famous gay minorities remain in the closet.

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20. E. Denise Simmons

The former mayor of Cambridge, Mass., Simmons was the first lesbian African-American mayor in U.S. history.

21 of 24

21. Emil Wilbekin

This managing editor of Essence.com has made major moves for the gay community and is even celebrated as one of the most influential gay men in Out magazine in 2002.

22 of 24

22. Tracy Chapman

While Tracy has always been quiet about her sexuality, her link to Alice Walker has been publicized and Walker claims that it's never been a secret.

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23. Alice Walker

"The Color Purple" writer confessed to the Guardian that she shared a love affair with singer, Tracy Chapman and the Guardian writer said, "...I was surprised to see her face light up at the mention of Chapman." She says Walker claimed, "Yeah I loved it too. Absolutely."

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24. Rebecca Walker

Alice Walker's estranged daughter is bisexual and previously had a relationship with neo-soul musician Meshell Ndegeocello, whose son she helped raise.